---
title: "Mkhwanazi’s ‘too grave to contemplate’ allegations gain grim weight"
description: "One year on, Madlanga’s hearings appear to corroborate KZN police commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi’s claims of corrupt networks, prompting criminal probes, disciplinary action and urgent calls to restore integrity in the SAPS."
type: "NewsArticle"
publisher: "Daily Maverick"
site: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za"
section: "MADLANGA COMMISSION ANNIVERSARY"
author: "Vincent Cruywagen"
author_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/author/vincent-cruywagen-2/"
canonical_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-09-17-mkhwanazis-too-grave-to-contemplate-allegations-gain-grim-weight/"
published: "2026-09-17T23:02:57"
lang: "en-ZA"
word_count: 1894
---

# Mkhwanazi’s ‘too grave to contemplate’ allegations gain grim weight

> One year on, Madlanga’s hearings appear to corroborate KZN police commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi’s claims of corrupt networks, prompting criminal probes, disciplinary action and urgent calls to restore integrity in the SAPS.

By Vincent Cruywagen · Published 18 September 2026, 01:02 SAST

## Key points
- One year on, Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga says evidence is mounting that Lieutenant‑General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi’s 2025 warning of ‘too grave to contemplate’ corruption is proving credible — pointing to infiltration and undue influence within the criminal justice system and prompting criminal probes, dismissals and disciplinary action.
- The 2024 murder of engineer Armand Swart widened into alleged organised‑crime links and possible forensic tampering; the inquiry’s human toll is stark — witness Marius van der Merwe was assassinated after testifying.
- Sidelined police minister Senzo Mchunu has been dragged into allegations over the disbandment of the Political Killings Task Team and ties to ANC‑aligned figures; the controversial R228m Medicare24 contract implicated senior officers and sparked both arrests and later withdrawals of some charges.
- The commission has put anti‑corruption bodies under the microscope too — Idac and senior prosecutors came under scrutiny — and Madlanga says exposure must now be translated into institutional repair if the rule of law is to be rescued.

## Content

A year after Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi appeared as the first witness before the Madlanga Commission with allegations Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga described as ‘too grave to contemplate’, the commission chair has delivered his starkest assessment yet: the evidence points to serious criminality within South Africa’s criminal justice system and the infiltration of state institutions by criminal networks.

When Mkhwanazi took the stand on 17 September 2025, he brought before the Commission a [troubling chain of events](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2025-09-17-someone-influenced-senzo-mchunu-to-disband-political-killings-task-team-mkhwanazi-tells-commission/): a murder, a secret investigation and what he described as unusual influence when now sidelined police minister Senzo Mchunu decided to disband the Political Killing Task Team (PKTT).

Mkhwanazi has also long maintained that suspended deputy national police commissioner Lieutenant General Shadrack Sibiya was at the centre of [criminal networks](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-08-07-has-the-madlanga-commission-vindicated-mkhwanazi-the-case-against-shadrack-sibiya/) that had infiltrated South Africa’s law enforcement agencies.

His explosive media briefing on 6 July 2025 was the genesis of the commission, turning allegations of criminality, political interference and the alleged capture of parts of the criminal justice system into a judicial inquiry.

Among his accusations was that Police Minister Senzo Mchunu, now on special leave, had directed the disbandment of the Political Killings Task Team (PKTT), allegedly to [shield politically connected members of a criminal syndicate](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2025-07-06-saps-commissioner-accuses-police-minister-of-derailing-probe-into-political-killings/) from prosecution.

That briefing set in motion a process of no return, placing the inner workings of the criminal justice system under unprecedented public and judicial scrutiny. President Cyril Ramaphosa announced on 13 July 2025 that a Judicial Commission of Inquiry would be established to investigate Mkhwanazi’s allegations

[FOR CONTEXT

Commission to probe Mkhwanazi allegations may trigger criminal investigations

July 24, 2025 ![Image](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/o5RFeJNaY5LS-cZHEG-xbtuSVAE=/450x0/smart/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Madlanga-copy.jpg)](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2025-07-24-madlanga-inquiry-terms-of-reference-heres-what-to-know/)

### What a year of evidence revealed

On the first anniversary of the hearings, Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga reflected on the ground covered since Mkhwanazi became the first witness and, more significantly, on what the evidence had revealed about the state of the criminal justice system.

A year earlier, Madlanga had warned that if Mkhwanazi’s allegations proved true, they would “spell doom” to a system, the rule of law and a functioning constitutional democracy. A year later, he posed the question himself: had Mkhwanazi’s allegations proved false, or were they proving true?

![Vusimusi “Cat” Matlala Continues To Testify At The Madlanga Commission](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/QiB5fM_9vTeogiyPn4MwuREqjNU=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/attachments/orphans/Vince-World-Bank-Pop5_965703.jpg)

*Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga at the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry in Pretoria on 26 August, 2026. President Cyril Ramaphosa established the commission to investigate and report on the veracity, scope and extent of the allegations made on 6 July 2025 by KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi that South Africa’s criminal justice system was compromised. (Photo: Gallo Images / Frennie Shivambu)*

Justice Madlanga was careful to stress that the commission had yet to hear and assess all the evidence and would make definitive findings only in its final report. But his assessment of the emerging picture was stark.

“Unfortunately, what is emerging from the evidence is that there are indications of serious criminality within the criminal justice system and that this is the result of the infiltration of, and undue influence on, the criminal justice system by elements of criminality,” he said.

The fact that several players within the criminal justice system had been criminally charged, dismissed or subjected to disciplinary proceedings, he said, lent credence to those indications.

The emerging evidence, he said, suggested that the criminal justice system had for some time been populated by “malleable, corrupt state functionaries”.

### A year of hearings: Scale, evidence and the human cost

A year into its work, the Commission has heard 110 witnesses over 174 days and amassed 26,352 pages of testimony and 105,282 pages of documentary evidence across 750 bundles.

Among the expert witnesses was World Bank specialist Laura Pop, who told the Commission that SAPS might require a once-off “deep cleaning” exercise, what she described as an [extraordinary evaluation](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-09-16-saps-needs-once-off-deep-clean-targeting-corrupt-officers-world-bank-expert/), to address integrity failures, restore the institution’s integrity and rebuild public trust.

![Marius van der Merwe (Photo: X)](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/Vkh-URmqVUh1iHiberrpzkOwutw=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/attachments/orphans/Vince-Madlanga-one-yearlater10_665130.jpg)

*Witness D, Marius van der Merwe, who was assassinated after testifying. (Photo: X)*

But the inquiry has come at a human cost. Commission spokesperson Jeremy Michaels urged South Africans to remember Marius van der Merwe, assassinated in front of his family on 5 December 2025 after testifying as Witness D, and the “countless brave individuals” who provided information, sometimes at considerable personal risk.

[ASSASSINATION

Madlanga Commission Witness D's murder forces focus on whistleblower security

December 6, 2025 ![Image](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/aKVB_dKKHNJ3dI2cvluF3VvrUzY=/450x0/smart/file/attachments/orphans/ShiraazWitDMain_272135.jpg)](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2025-12-06-madlanga-commission-witness-ds-murder-forces-focus-on-whistleblower-security/)

The commission’s public reach was also significant, with 1,894 hotline calls and 4,548 emails, although 78% of calls and 72% of emails fell outside its terms of reference.

### Swart murder: Where threads began to unravel

The murder of engineer Armand Swart on 17 April 2024 was not the beginning of the Madlanga Commission story. But the evidence that followed opened a Pandora’s box, exposing an alleged web of criminal networks and raising questions about infiltration within SAPS.

![Murdered engineer  Armand Swart. (Photo: Supplied / Source)](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/tLNTp2M0ehcikMXrI_ZBTP4wO1w=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/attachments/orphans/Vince-Madlanga-one-yearlater1_864340.jpg)

*Murdered engineer Armand Swart. (Photo: Supplied / Source)*

Investigated by the PKTT, the case exposed alleged links between criminal figures and police officers. Witness B said Swart became a target after Transnet buyer Lucky Molefe, nephew of alleged crime boss Katiso “KT” Molefe, came under pressure over allegedly doctored tender documents. Molefe allegedly turned to his uncle, who allegedly approached then police officer Michael Tau, alleged by the witness to be a hitman. Molefe remains on the run.

[MADLANGA COMMISSION

Armand Swart killing suspect, KT Molefe’s nephew, on the run since 2024

October 22, 2025 ![Image](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/0Lbcf5E-9ZcDPDXVmORlgBIwe-g=/450x0/smart/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Vince-Witness-B-Madlanga-testify-copy.jpg)](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2025-10-22-armand-swart-killing-suspect-kt-molefes-nephew-on-the-run-since-2024/)

The case took a further turn when detectives and witnesses testified that an initial Gauteng police ballistics report deliberately omitted 15 cartridge cases. Yet an AK-47 seized after Swart’s murder was[linked](https://www.npa.gov.za/media/case-against-kt-molefe-and-others-transferred-high-court) ballistically to several high-profile killings and attempted killings, including those of DJ Sumbody, Hector Buthelezi, Don Tindleni and Swart.

The ballistic trail widened the inquiry from a single murder to alleged organised crime and the integrity of the investigation itself. SAPS forensic analyst Captain Laurence Makgotloe faces charges after [allegedly tampering](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-06-02-the-cop-who-allegedly-buried-the-bullets-forensic-analyst-faces-second-tampering-charge/) with crucial ballistic evidence in the Swart case

### Mchunu: From police minister to centre of the storm

![Senzo Mchunu Continue To Testify Before Madlanga Commission](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/pBZgCOe7-JNJvCelJT0Y1XDOueQ=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/attachments/orphans/Vince-Madlanga-one-yearlater3_884289.jpg)

*Sidelined Police Minister Senzo Mchunu testifies at the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry in Pretoria on 5 December, 2025. (Photo: Gallo Images / Frennie Shivambu)*

At the centre of that shift was sidelined Police Minister Senzo Mchunu, whose decision to disband the PKTT became a defining issue before the commission. Mkhwanazi’s allegations placed him at the centre of questions about political interference, which Mchunu has denied.

The evidence later turned to his relationship with ANC-aligned businessman Brown Mogotsi and alleged links to Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala. On 30 October 2025, Witness C told the Commission that Matlala had [allegedly paid](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2025-10-30-witness-c-cat-matlala-claims-bribed-minister-top-cops/) R500,000 towards Mchunu’s campaign for the ANC presidency and believed Mchunu had failed to honour his side of the alleged arrangement.

The commission also examined whether Mogotsi had advance knowledge of the PKTT’s disbandment.

![Brown Mogotsi Continues To Testify At The Madlanga Commission](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/GIliIPsoZPozL7YNLOTqqeBn7Fo=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/attachments/orphans/Vince-Madlanga-one-yearlater2_260372.jpg)

*Brown Mogotsi testifies at the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry in Pretoria on 20 November, 2025. (Photo: Gallo Images / Frennie / Shivambu)*

Although it became public on 2 January 2025, Chaskalson questioned Mogotsi about evidence suggesting he had known about the disbandment earlier. Mogotsi vehemently denied this. He was also accused of acting as a middleman between Mchunu and Matlala, allegations he disputed.

[MADLANGA COMMISSION

Brown Mogotsi grilled on his alleged advance knowledge of the PKTT’s disbandment

November 20, 2025 ![Image](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/0m_g53h2YWlZ62hNmui6k0Sq0vo=/450x0/smart/file/attachments/2984/cele-matlala-caryn-overnightcopy_620804_d3807b371cea14c4f0674608fd1ac589.jpg)](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2025-11-20-brown-mogotsi-grilled-on-his-alleged-advance-knowledge-of-the-pktts-disbandment/)

The political consequences had already begun. On 13 July 2025, Ramaphosa placed Mchunu on immediate leave following the public fallout over Mkhwanazi’s allegations. More than a year later, Mchunu was still being drawn into the evidence.

On Friday, 21 August 2026, Lieutenant Colonel Deendadayalan (Deena) Govender further alleged that Mchunu was involved in an effort to pressure a witness [into implicating](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-08-23-bombshell-testimony-implicates-mchunu-in-alleged-bid-to-target-mkhwanazi/) KwaZulu-Natal police boss Mkhwanazi.

### Medicare24: Where the money, influence
and alleged corruption converged

![Vusimusi Cat Matlala Testifies Before The Madlanga Commission](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/5QRTBrWq6C-RtC7yvfk6Vr_wU5w=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/attachments/orphans/Vince-Madlanga-one-yearlater8_206338.jpg)

*Vusimuzi ‘Cat’ Matlala testifies at the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry in Pretoria on 15 July, 2026. (Photo: Gallo Images / Frennie Shivambu)*

The controversial R228-million Medicare24 contract exposed another dimension of the commission’s inquiry: how allegations of corruption could extend beyond the awarding of a lucrative police tender to the flow of money, relationships and influence around it.

Originally valued at R360-million, about R228-million was paid before the contract was cancelled. Evidence raised questions about payments, loans and relationships involving Matlala and senior police figures. Twelve police officers initially faced charges including corruption and fraud, while National Commissioner Fannie Masemola was charged with contravening the Public Finance Management Act.

[‘CAT’ AND THE COPS

Officers charged in R228m Matlala fraud case back on the beat

August 17, 2026 ![Image](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/OZYREoSqkrFROK0lzVneQkjM4rk=/450x0/smart/file/attachments/orphans/Ferial-Policecopy_379389.jpg)](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-08-17-officers-charged-in-r228m-matlala-fraud-case-back-on-the-beat/)

The State alleges that Matlala[bribed](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-05-12-top-cops-in-the-dock-heres-the-full-list-of-madlanga-related-arrests/) senior police officers, including generals, to secure the contract, which was awarded in June 2024

On 1 July, acting National Police Commissioner Lieutenant General Puleng Dimpane confirmed the dismissal of Brigadier Rachel Matjeng, one of the 12 accused, following the conclusion of an internal disciplinary process. Matjeng had come under scrutiny because of[her relationship with Matlala](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-03-25-matlalas-ozempic-girlfriend-and-job-terminator-among-12-cops-arrested-in-r360m-tender-scandal/).

The fallout reached the anti-corruption machinery itself.

On 30 July 2026, Investigating Directorate Against Corruption (Idac) State advocate Drushantha Ramsamy on 30 July, 2026 accused former Idac head Andrea Johnson and chief investigator Dylan Perumal of using Idac’s investigative powers to build a case against Masemola and Crime Intelligence boss Lieutenant General Dumisani Khumalo, rather than simply following the evidence.

[MADLANGA COMMISSION

‘It’s going to be a shitshow’ — Andrea Johnson allegedly advises witness to flee

July 30, 2026 ![Image](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/ZRQgk7IjKJAO4jSVbd8oTOcLmXc=/450x0/smart/file/attachments/orphans/ED_616934_726181.jpg)](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-07-30-its-going-to-be-a-shitshow-andrea-johnson-allegedly-advises-witness-to-flee/)

Following this revelation, Public Prosecutions boss Andy Mothibi ordered the [withdrawal of charges](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-09-15-masemola-cleared-in-cat-matlala-tender-scandal-johnson-era-idac-cases-reviewed/) against Masemola in the case involving the controversial policing tender awarded to Matlala’s company.

In August, the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) withdrew the fraud and corruption charges against former Crime Intelligence boss Khumalo and other co-accused concerning the alleged irregular appointment of Brigadier Dineo Mokwele.

[MADLANGA COMMISSION

Charges against Crime Intelligence officials dropped as Andrea Johnson capitulates

July 27, 2026 ![Image](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/dkt5C5PxxOQ330t-yT3riOOb2Go=/450x0/smart/file/attachments/orphans/vincent_906393.jpg)](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-07-27-charges-against-crime-intelligence-officials-dropped-as-andrea-johnson-capitulates/)

### Idac and Khan: When the watchdogs came under scrutiny

The Commission’s scrutiny was therefore not confined to the police. It turned to institutions meant to detect corruption and investigate those accused of abusing state power.

![Senior Cops Feroz Khan And Ebrahim Kadwa Appear At Court For Unlawful Possession Of Precious Metals](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/LxSX_OadOAP_nQtvKPZEDOgo5RY=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/attachments/orphans/Vince-Madlanga-one-yearlater7_313145.jpg)

*Sacked senior Crime Intelligence officer Feroz Khan appears in Kempton Park Magistrates’ Court on 11 May, 2026. The suspect was arrested for alleged illicit precious metals transactions, corruption and related offences. (Photo: Gallo Images / OJ Koloti)*

Evidence concerning Idac raised questions about its independence, capacity and handling of sensitive investigations. On 10 July, the commission heard evidence that Johnson, then a senior NPA prosecutor, allegedly[funnelled](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-07-12-whistleblowers-evidence-puts-idac-head-andrea-johnson-under-madlanga-commission-scrutiny/)the contents of a confidential criminal complaint to Khan, then head of Operational Intelligence Support at Crime Intelligence.

[MADLANGA COMMISSION

‘You gorgeous’ — intimate messages between Feroz Khan and Andrea Johnson revealed

July 29, 2026 ![Image](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/Y2GNg-LYZpaF5A4tbxd4ep79Ybs=/450x0/smart/file/attachments/orphans/Madlanga11_278535.jpg)](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-07-29-you-gorgeous-intimate-messages-between-feroz-khan-and-andrea-johnson-revealed/)

Later, intimate WhatsApp messages between Johnson and Khan became evidence before the commission, laying bare a relationship that appeared to exceed professional boundaries.

Shortly afterwards, Ramaphosa agreed to Johnson [vacating her post](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-07-27-andrea-johnson-requests-immediate-release-from-idac-post/?_gl=1*fe96c6*_up*MQ..*_ga*NTY5MTUzODExLjE3ODk2NTE4ODg.*_ga_Y7XD5FHQVG*czE3ODk2NTE4ODYkbzEkZzAkdDE3ODk2NTE4ODYkajYwJGwwJGgxNTcxOTIyMTQwJGRER0VtUjZiZU83NmtXZGZHamJRVW1UMGpDem5oQTJXUW1n*_ga_YXDKG437YV*czE3ODk2NTE4OTAkbzEkZzAkdDE3ODk2NTE4OTAkajYwJGwwJGgw) with immediate effect.

### A commission that did more than expose
— it triggered action

The commission’s evidence has already triggered criminal investigations, disciplinary proceedings and employment decisions. Its second interim report, submitted in May 2026, made further referrals, with resulting investigations incorporated into an SAPS special investigations task team.

But the final test is institutional repair. Madlanga has stressed that definitive findings will come only in the final report, even as emerging evidence points to serious criminality, infiltration and undue influence within the criminal justice system.

Now comes the harder task: turning exposure into institutional repair, and ensuring that those entrusted with enforcing the law cannot themselves become vulnerable to the networks they are meant to police. **DM**